5.2.2 Medical

Develop Medical Emergency Plan, obtain medical aid and transportation for injured and ill incident personnel and preparing reports and records. May also assist Operations in supplying medical care and assistance to civilian casualties but is not intended to provide medical services to the public.

The National Response Center is capable of establishing a teleconference of up to 650 participants. The system is intended for use in support of emergency response operations, but can be made available on a limited basis for routine matters.

Federal OSCs and RRT chairmen may request a teleconference by contacting the NRC Duty Officer at 1-800-424-8802. They may request emergency conferences at any time, but should provide 1-day advance notice whenever possible. A member of the RRT asking for phone lines in relation to RRT business may call the NRC or email the duty officer at NRC@uscg.mil with a request for teleconferencing services. If requesting via email, the requestor will get a response either by email or phone with the conference call line information.

U.S. EPA Region 5 maintains three satellite phones available with one each in Willowbrook, Illinois; Grosse Ile, Michigan; and Westlake, Ohio. They are model Motorola Iridium 9505A.

Portable Satellite
Units

Portable Satellite Units (PSU) were developed under the direction of the National Approach to Response-Field Communication Group. In an effort to support OSCs deployed for the September 2005 Hurricane Katrina response, these units were assembled and sent to the field. In 2007, 10 additional PSUs were purchased and distributed to EPA Regions and ERT in support of OSCs. In 2010, there was an upgrade to each PSU that includes VoIP phone service.

To access a PSU in Region 5, contact Jon Gulch by calling the EPA Region 5 spill phone at 312-353-2318.

Mobile
Command Post

US EPA Region 5 has a Mobile Command Post (MCP) that is stored at a contractor warehouse in Hammond, Indiana.

The MCP is made up of two main areas, separated by a slide pocket door; a forward work area
with several workstations and the communications rack and a rear conference room with video conferencing
capability. The MCP can be hard-wired to electrical power and phones or can operate from an on-board generator.
The MCP has a satellite dish for internet data service, satellite television, Voice over Internet Protocol
(VoIP) phones, and radio communications equipment. The MCP can monitor Regional television broadcasts
via satellite and local stations through the Internet and over-air broadcast for situational news updates and
changing weather patterns. The MCP is equipped with a telescoping external camera that can elevate above
the scene and remotely operated to zoom in on nearby events. Security camera images can be captured on
an on-board DVD-R recorder. An internal camera is in the command staff area of the MCP so briefings can be
conducted and transmitted wirelessly to other locations, such as field command posts or the Regional office.
The MCP has a computer network system with wired and wireless Internet, fax capability, and a local print
server with two color printers and a large color plotter. The network is available on several on-board workstations
and one external work area with flat panel display. The MCP has its own compact weather station.
The MCP can be staffed with fully trained Logistics/Communications Unit personnel through the Region 5
Response Support Corp (RSC).

MCP Phone Number: 312-324-3564

MCP Fax Number: 312-550-7764

24-Hour Satellite Support (Miri Microsystems): 866-933-6015

GETS
Cards

The Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) provides National Security/Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP) personnel a high probability of completion for their phone calls when normal calling methods are unsuccessful. It is designed for periods of severe network congestion or disruption, and works through a series of enhancements to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). GETS is in a constant state of readiness. Users receive a GETS “calling card” to access the service. This card provides access phone numbers, Personal Identification Number (PIN), and simple dialing instructions.